Harajuku Girl
by naturally morbid
Summary: On-Hold. AU. ItaHina. Everyone has to rebel against something, be it their education or their family. It is part of youth self discovery. But can love be discovered for two people leading double lives from their familes? Or will they stagnate in others' wishes?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay, so I know I have If I Fell up here, still unfinished and only recently updated. But it will be finished before you know it really, and I didn't want to wait so long to have new stuff in the works too.

So I present to you, my newest endeavor. It is another AU, but I couldn't resist. It will have mentions of real landmarks, which might be familar to you, or if not, then please feel free to use wikipedia. I sure did. The title of the fic has nothing to do with the Gwen Stefani song or her dancers. It is taken from Harajuku, Japan which is known for its fashion impact as far as cosplay, goth-loli and so on. There is also Harajuku Station, the Jingu Bridge ( where cosplayers, visual kei cosplayers, etc hang out,) and Takeshita Street (which is known for selling these fashions). These are real places.

I hope no one is too OOC. I always try hard to interpret them to the best of my abilities, as well as making them fit into an AU storyline. So if they are OOC, I apologize now. They will all be dressing up and cosplaying a lot in this, so while they may look different a good deal of the time, I hope it doesn't change their personalities too much. This will be a little different from If I Fell, naturally.

Also, I know there is a Kakashi/Hinata (Lolita in Love) story with Hinata in lolita clothing. I haven't read it, I've just seen it around a few times, though that doesn't mean I won't read it as I will get to it eventually. I'm pointing this out because Hinata will be in lolita clothing in this, but not all the time, just on Sundays and probably not every Sunday as she'll be trying out other styles too, but she'll be wearing just normal clothing and so on.

Actually, while browsing pictures from Harajuku and Jingu bridge was how I came up with this plotline. I thought it would make a fun plotline to have the Naruto characters doing something that is typical of teenagers and young adults in Japan, dressing in gothic and lolita, or visual kei, punk, styles while learning about themselves and love. Plus, some of the girls in the pictures reminded me a bit of Hinata and I can always see Itachi as someone in a band or something =) Just thought I would make mention of all this beforehand and get it out of the way.

Summary: AU ItaHina. Everyone has to rebel against something, be it their education or their family. It is a way of showing one's true expressions, innermost thoughts. It is a requirement of youth self discovery. But can love be discovered as well for two people leading double lives from their families? Or will they stagnate amongst others' wishes?

I think that's everything for now. Please enjoy! Remember, positive thoughts or constructive criticism. If you simply do not like it, then please don't read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters. No money is made from this.

* * *

Harajuku Girl

Chapter 1

'_I am not so sure about this,'_ the young man thought as he waited just behind the bright warning line at the train station, despite his brother's many reassurances that he would enjoy this day. The train blew into the station, ruffling his dark chocolate bangs and the end of his ponytail with its arrival. '_I should be spending the day studying.'_

"Come on, I come here with friends from high school every weekend," his younger brother explained, rolling his dark eyes. "You're not scared are you?" he smirked crossing his heavily decorated arms. This was the one day of the week Itachi Uchiha saw his brother dress in this manner.

His usually, mostly refined seventeen year old brother Sasuke had exchanged his usual royal blue shirt for one of mesh and black fabric that revealed his developing muscles. His usual white shorts he had traded in for a pair of baggy, slouching jeans that covered his feet. Itachi figured they were weighted down by the amount of chains stemming from nearly every available pocket.

But none of those surprised him as much as the perfect onyx eyeliner or the black gel bracelets he allowed to dangle every which way on his slender arms. It didn't look as if he had done much of anything to his hair, the back always messy as if he had just awoken. Sasuke was determined to rebel against his father, the police chief of their district, and a Sunday spent in Harajuku would do just fine.

Several passersby gave him an evil eye, hardly taking note of the other young man standing beside him. It wasn't that Itachi was unfamiliar with the styles in Harajuku, rocking black nail polish and dark clothing himself; it was just this was his one day off before a week of grueling tests at college.

"No, I'm not scared, except that you might trip and fall in those pants," Itachi spoke, allowing a slim smile to cross his lips. He grasped the back of his brother's shirt firmly as the doors _whooshed_ open to allow them access. The passengers leaving didn't offer them as much as a glance while the brothers passed between them. "What a mess you would be to clean off the tracks," he teased.

Itachi had spent many happy hours cosplaying and shopping in Harajuku. He and some of his friends from college still liked to dress up as their favorite visual kei band on occasion and spend the whole day standing on the Jingu Bridge while tourists, locals, and everyone in between would snap their picture.

It was wonderful to forget yourself under the pale face paint, dark lipstick, and lined eyes; like wearing a mask of an alter ego. He preferred the fitted faux aristocratic clothing to the loose and possibly dangerous of Sasuke. Even his mother commented that he looked very distinguished.

Today he would blend into the crowds, not looking as touristy as he could have. He had been sure to select a comfortably worn out pair of dark pants, the knees beginning to tear out, along with a tunic-style dark blue shirt that included a sewn in netted piece under the V-neck. His shoes were flat and nondescript while his long hair was pulled into a simple, low ponytail.

"Will any of your classmates be there today?" He was careful not to choose friends because he wasn't sure how much they meant to Sasuke, as he had a slight falling out with some of them the year before. Itachi was never sure over what. His brother never spoke of it.

Sasuke shrugged his hands in his pockets as he stared at the bottom of his pants. There was a long thread hanging free that he wished to pull as soon as possible. "I don't know. Naruto mentioned something about cosplaying his favorite ninja on Friday before we left school. He'll be surrounded by people."

"Oh, well maybe I can get a few pictures for mom," Itachi said, holding up the family camera. He wasn't much of a photographer, just a point and click way of operating. Sasuke nodded and reached for the thread, plucking it loose easily. They did not mention their father.

Instead of changing at the station bathroom, as many of the other young people chose to do, Sasuke had readied himself at home just as his father was preparing to leave for his shift. When Itachi had been probably even younger than Sasuke and started venturing to Harajuku, Uchiha Fugaku had accepted it as matter of age. Itachi would simply grow out of it.

He was not pleased until Itachi entered college under the guise of studying law, hopefully to follow in his father's footsteps and carry on the tradition. But Itachi could strangely enough not see himself quoting the law or arresting criminals. He really wanted to create music and art, to express his true feelings uninhibited on a medium that everyone would understand. He didn't share with them that fact he still visited Harajuku. They thought he had stopped.

Naturally, Itachi hid this secret from the world, trying to smother it into nothingness, into the law which he tried so hard to understand and memorize. It he pushed it down far enough, gave it no life, then it would eventually die wouldn't it?

He looked quietly out the windows of the train, listening to the distant chatter around him, the voices pleasantly humming along with the rhythm of the tracks, the slight rocking, like the ocean. Colors and shapes mixed before his eyes, tempting him, luring him away from the notes he was supposed to be mentally checking listing.

X

The soft brush, covered in the cherry tint, painted her lips in several easy strokes as lavender eyes dutifully watched the mirror. She rubbed top and bottom together slowly, so that the color transferred easily before she grabbed a clean tissue from a nearby paisley-print box and dabbed away the excess.

It was hard to try and dress or apply makeup with so many other girls crowding around the mirrors as well in various stages of undress. This was her third time applying lipstick alone. Her friends were still fighting for enough room to check their hair and costumes, making her all the more glad she had applied most of her makeup on the train.

She hadn't wanted to of course, but it was necessary despite her blush. This was her way of facing crowds and gaining self confidence. Her delicate pale hands smoothed out the black cotton of the dress she had finished the night before, just for this occasion.

It had taken several weeks to sew all the black and red lace on, not to mention getting the ruffles to fit correctly and a hundred other minor things. Sometimes when she was tired a button had been sewn on in the wrong place or she had pricked he finger on the needle.

She stepped back from the sink to glimpse one last parting shot of her handiwork. All of her friends had been surprised when she had shown up at the sleepover with the dress nearly complete. While she listened to their cool talk of the boys at school, eventually drifting into various bands and their costumes, finally to costumes from television shows until one by one they drifted to sleep.

Hinata had been afraid she would never be able to finish the dress at first, having not practiced in many years. She had not had a mother around to teach her. Instead, one of the maids had taught her how to make simple doll clothing one year. She didn't think it could be that different sewing clothing for herself.

But she feared she might have trouble walking in the lent boots from her friend Sakura. Her feet were smaller by one size, but it was the two inch heel she was concerned with. Somehow they made her feel empowered at the same time as she pulled the lacy black parasol from her bag and made her way out of the bathroom to wait.

She liked to watch the crowds coming off the trains and trying to dream of what kinds of lives they led, just as she figured they imagined about her, standing there in her handmade dress. She twirled a stand of deep twilight hair as she waited, checking every now and again to see how close the girls were to being finished.

Her father had no idea what she was really doing at this moment and that filled her with a sense of confidence she feared sometimes she lacked. It wasn't that he was abusive, he was just stern on what his girls were exposed to.

He believed that Hinata was spending the day in a study group with her friends from school. He wouldn't call her cell phone, believing that studying is best uninterrupted. It wasn't like her grades were crashing or even terrible. As a Hyuuga, Hinata was very intelligent.

If it wasn't for her nervous habits or her general lack of confidence, then she probably would have been top in the class. She never spent much time doing anything else but studying for becoming the next heir in the family. At school, her sister was always surrounded by a small crowd of people, enjoying her spunk.

Truthfully, Hinata would have just handed over the honor to her younger sister Hanabi as her heart just wasn't in it. Before her final year in high school, she never had friends, always sheltered away, like a flower kept in a dark closet. She did not have the amount of backbone it took to be in her family.

Hinata and her sister were dead opposites. She was a quiet, rather studious girl while her sister was bold and adventurous. As children, Hanabi had gotten Hinata into so much trouble, always venturing where they shouldn't. Hinata couldn't help but feel her father preferred her sister.

But her weekends spent in Harajuku square with the girls from her class at school were improving her spirits. One Sunday afternoon Sakura had called her with a study proposition; though she told her bring a camera. Hinata thought that it was because they were going to document actually studying, as their parents were under the impression the girls did not.

Instead, they whisked her away to the train station and arrived in probably the most crowded place Hinata had ever experienced. There were people everywhere, dressed in all manners of fashions, some she had never even seen!

She could feel her heart rise as they headed for the bathroom to let the other girls change. She was just to be an observer this time, which was fine with her as there was so much to drink in. They shopped down the famed Takeshita Street, allowing the girls to restock their Sunday makeup and browse the latest fashions before they headed for the Jingu Bridge, where they spent the majority of their visit.

Hinata could tell right away this was the place for her. After they walked her home, she began to work quietly on her dress design, every night. She borrowed an old pattern left over from her dolls, adjusting the size until she thought it might fit her.

The next two weeks they had met up with school mates like Uzumaki Naruto and his friend Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto was always popular around the bridge because of his enthusiasm as whoever he was portraying for the day. She had noticed the same during class, but strangely she wasn't attracted to him anymore.

Sure, she had crushed on him all the years previous and probably would have continued to do so if she had never experienced Harajuku for herself. But now, she had experienced freedom. It didn't mean quite the same thing living it through someone else.

Where Naruto was outgoing, Sasuke was more reserved and withdrawn. He dressed up of course, but he came off as cool and uncaring, making him edgy, like a model. He played the bad boy and he did it well. If their lives had been a high school drama, he would of course be asked on as the angst outcast with knowledge of the world and a devil may care attitude. Naruto would play his arch rival, the jock and all around good guy, the hero.

This week though, was her coming out. She would finally be joining their ranks. It brought a smile to her lips as the girls finally emerged from the bathroom, more colorful than they had arrived.

Sakura had donned in a white Lolita-style dress, the frilled hem coming to just below her knees, while Temari had dressed as a spunky cross of rockabilly and punk in jeans and leather. Ino ever the dramatist wrapped herself in visual kei complete with the ghost white makeup, and Ten Ten as Chun Li from Street Fighter, one of her favorite games.

Hinata would no longer be the shadow on the wall. Today, she would be reborn as the mysterious heroine.

"Ready Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked as they linked arms to keep them from getting separated. Several young men took notice with expressive eyebrows and smiles.

"Yes," she nodded vigorously and the girls set off into the crowds.

X

Itachi followed his brother from the train station through moderate crowds to nearly packed. He kept a firm grip on the Sasuke's shirt collar so they wouldn't get separated as they bypassed shopping to head for the Bridge.

There were already multiple groups, each staking a claim on a section of the bridge, offering them a friendly wave or familiar greeting. Itachi recognized some of his classmates and wondered if Sasuke had picked any of his out yet too.

No two people wore exactly the same style he realized before a voice called out to them. He recognized it as Sasuke's friend Naruto's boisterous style before they spotted the blond waving frantically.

He was standing near a group of girls, probably all around the same age, once they drew closer. Itachi could recognize some visual kei with a mix of goth and Lolita mixed in before a girl on the edge caught his deep eyes. She was standing such a pace away, he didn't realize she was even with their group.

Her lips were as red as the lacy hem of her black ruffle dress, two colors he thought worked very well together. Her skin was not as pallid as the other girls, lacking the geisha-white foundation, framed with large deep plum curls. She had chosen a modest collar on the dress, so that no part was exposed save the top of her neck, while the sleeves stretched to her hands, and the hemline to mid-calf. She had even taken time to wear lacy red gloves that hid delicate hands from prying eyes.

She stood there, innocently twirling a large black parasol against the cloudy sky while she rocked back and forth on tall boots. She looked like an animated doll, perfectly proportioned, and fragile, instead of a child. He had seen plenty of girls in the dark Lolita style, but there was something so genuine about hers that he couldn't help but take sharp notice.

The other girls were busy fighting with Naruto or waving to Sasuke, but she was in her own universe, like she had forgotten the world was there. Her pale, full moon shaped eyes wandered the surrounding area, watching the moving crowds. They were so exotic, adding to her ethereal feel.

Quickly, before he and Sasuke arrived, he snapped a photo, hoping he at least had it focused enough that he could fix it in the computer later should there be any flaw. The flash disturbed her enough from her reverie that she caught sight of him and promptly blushed, hiding behind her parasol.

Despite his usual stoic expression, he found himself smiling slightly at her embarrassment. He hadn't meant to frighten her; he just couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Sasuke-kun, we wondered if you were coming today," one of the girls, with pale pink hair, smiled as she waltzed up to his brother. Itachi stood dutifully behind him, though he kept an eye on the girl. He glanced around and could see other people snapping passing pictures of her too, whether as part of the surrounding groups or all alone.

It could make you feel famous for one day, no matter who you were or what you did the rest of the week. He smiled, remembering how long it seemed he had been in the spotlight as well.

"We're going to walk around the bridge some," Sasuke told him. Naruto was already waving at a group of boys he seemed to know. Itachi reluctantly nodded his consent as he shadowed them. He was his brother's guest today. His mother worried about Sasuke coming to the bridge alone, which was mostly the reason Itachi was along today. Before he had left the house and ridden the train with friends.

He turned around to give one last glance to the mysterious girl, but he couldn't see her amongst all the others now. With the boys leaving, the group had become excited over something, probably Sasuke. Itachi figured his brother was popular with the girls.

Maybe he would be able to sneak one last look at her before he and Sasuke had to leave that day. But as the afternoon wore on and the three of them ended up back at the train station, his hopes closed with the metal and glass doors.

Plopping onto one of the slightly uncomfortable seats near the back of the car, he pulled out the camera, half listening to Sasuke and Naruto discussing who they had seen or spoken with. There were enough pictures of his brother to satisfy his mother for weeks probably.

He recognized the red before he stopped punching the buttons with slightly shaking thumbs. There, resting at a funny angle was his treasured picture of the mysterious doll in all of her rocking glory, exactly as he remembered her.

"Hey Sasuke, do you know who she is?" he inquired as he held the LCD screen out to the teenagers, disrupting their conversation. His brother leaned over with Naruto to acquire a better look before Naruto blurted out her name.

"Oh that's Hyuuga Hinata!" Itachi was familiar with the Hyuuga last name, although he wasn't sure why. It sounded familiar, like being introduced to someone years before, when you know you have never met them in the slightest. "She's one of our classmates who is really new to all of this. I don't know much about her though."

"Oh thanks," he told him, pulling the camera back to muse over her picture. "Is she there every week?" Both boys agreed that she usually was before ignoring him again. Next week, Itachi planned, he would be dressing up to meet her.

X

"Did you see the way Itachi-san looked at Hinata-chan?" Ino asked for the millionth time as the girls stepped off the train for the night. The gaggle all nodded their agreement, while Hinata merely blushed and hid her face deeper in the front of her bag. They had all changed before returning home.

"But that's good," Sakura told her with a smile as she shot Ino a warning glance to drop it. It was rare to see the older Uchiha, though Sasuke always attracted more attention. "That is really good Hinata." She patted her on the back.

Hinata secretly agreed. She wished she had noticed him before he took what was sure to be a dreadful picture of her. She hadn't meant to blush and turn away as she had; it was just such a shock that such a beautiful man was paying her any attention at all.

She remembered when she would see Itachi accompanying his mother to the school with Sasuke, when they were all a bit younger. He had been beautiful back then as well. She had never expected to catch his eye as she had, but it thrilled her.

But she figured he wouldn't be back next week. He was a college student after all. He probably had a girlfriend, most likely far prettier than her, and a social butterfly. She smiled bitterly; it was only fair after all. Guys like Uchiha Itachi did not date girls like herself.

His skin was clean and fair, with attractive lines beneath his eyes, giving him the appearance of long suffering or deep thought. His rich chocolate-hued hair was perfectly straight pulled back in a low ponytail, with bangs framing his face. Even the clothes he was wearing, which would have been nondescript on anyone else, seemed made for him.

No, it was a once in a life time occurrence. She shook her head, trying to dispel any stray thoughts of Itachi and his wonderfully kind face. His dark eyes had been amused after he had snapped the picture. It was harder to forget than she planned.

She had her picture taken many times that day, shyly posing or caught completely off guard. So many people had inquired or commented nicely about her dress. But still, she came back to the way the older Uchiha's eyes had locked upon her, despite her attempts to block him.

"Are you going to go back next Sunday?" Sakura asked as they walked to her house.

"Yes, I had a lot of fun this week," she smiled.

"Good, it sure looked like it." They were silent for a time, the sounds of their shoes slapping the pavement and echoing off the surrounding buildings filling the night air. "You know, it is really awesome that Itachi-san couldn't take his eyes off you."

"Is it? But Ino-ch"

"Don't worry about her," the other girl smiled. "She's just jealous. It is great that you like him." Hinata allowed herself a small smile. She had never made any other girls jealous before. It was a revolutionary thought. "See you tomorrow at school then?" They had reached the high fence surrounding her house, stopping in front of the gate.

Hinata nodded before they shared goodbyes as she walked into the house. She found a note that her father and sister were gone to dinner and when to expect them back. With a twirl, she headed to her room to hide her secret life and prepare to return to her weekly norm, feeling happier than she had felt all the other weeks.

X

Author's End Note: Like it? Please let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long absence in updating this. I am back with renewed interest, after some stuff has happened to me over the last year or so. Please see my profile if you really want to know. Thank you for all the support though, as without it, I probably would have taken even longer to update!

Anyway, this is sort of a filler about expectations and exploring family functions. The most rewarding things come to those who wait. So next chapter will be a meeting in their alter egos, so to say ^_^

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Don't own, never will, will never make any money.

* * *

Harajuku Girl

Chapter 2

Hinata absently twirled her pencil in her fingers as she waited for school to be over. It was the longest Friday thus far. All she could think about was the dress she had waiting at home to finish before Sunday.

And of the dark eyed man that had graced her thoughts since Sunday, her debut. Uchiha Itachi had given her the time of the day. She still couldn't believe it.

"Hey Hinata," Sakura whispered as their teacher left the room for a few minutes.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to spend the night Saturday, so we can leave from my house again?" Sakura asked.

"I wish I could," she told the other girl sadly. However, her father had planned a family dinner with some of his clients. He was always doing something like that. Her sister said it was because he was proud of the two beautiful and obedient daughters he had.

Hinata thought it was because he wanted to find them wealthy prospective husbands. But she kept her thoughts to herself. She had little interest in social standing or money; those things only brought aching pain, desperate loneliness, and horrible disappointment.

She found she would rather marry for love, have little money, and many kids, than to be unhappy like her father. Hanabi didn't understand those dreams. Her sister lived for the attention, for the compliments, for the money.

"Something going on?" Sakura asked.

"Family stuff," Hinata whispered back, leaving the conversation at that.

"Will you be able to go Sunday?"

"Yes. I'll meet at your house." Sakura nodded her understanding as their teacher made their appearance again.

Just a few hours more and she would be free to continue her sewing work before her father got home and her sister bothered her.

X

Itachi tapped his pencil against the surface of the desk in his old bedroom at home. He had come home that weekend to study as well as escort Sasuke again to Harajuku.

Their parents were out of town at a spa retreat and his brother needed some supervision, according to them. Itachi differed with them though. Sasuke was fairly grown up.

"Just be sure he doesn't burn the house down," his mother had warned as she kissed the boys good bye while being ushered out the door by their father.

"You see what I have to deal with all week?" Sasuke huffed.

"Come on, they love you," Itachi tried to soothe. Time to start acting like the older brother.

"Of course," he smirked briefly, "but they have trouble recognizing that sometimes I am not a little child anymore." He had shrugged before heading back up stairs, leaving Itachi to his own devices.

This was exactly how Itachi ended up pretending to study. He had long ago stopped trying to read the difficult text and was instead flipping through the pictures he had taken Sunday.

He thought he had long since thought he had destroyed the creative part of his personality effectively. Nevertheless, as he gazed upon the girl in the red and black Lolita dress, Itachi felt his blood itch with creativity. He wanted to pull his best costume out and dress up too. Itachi wanted to pull his guitar from the depths of storage and compose music again.

All week he had struggled with actually dressing up with Sasuke this weekend. His parents were out of town. It wasn't as if they would find out. But there was always the chance that one of his father's many channels would spread the news.

Itachi glanced at the picture of the girl again.

Didn't he owe it to himself to have a little fun? He had been doing well at school after all…Just one weekend couldn't hurt. Dropping his pencil in the middle of his textbook with resolve, Itachi grabbed a light jacket and went in search of Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" he asked as he knocked on his little brother's tightly shut door. He respected his brother's privacy to be invited into his room.

"What?" Itachi listened as a stereo was turned down.

"Do you want to come with me to the dorms to pick up some things?" A few seconds later Sasuke's messy head appeared in the small space he had opened.

"Why not?" he shrugged. Sasuke shut his door for a few seconds, appearing again with a jacket. Itachi locked the main door behind them before they headed for the train station. Because Itachi had been unsure of his resolve, he had decided against bringing home a costume or two. His apartment near the college was close enough it wasn't a problem to return for things he had forgotten.

His father thought he had packed all of those things away. In a sense, Itachi had. Just not where his father expected. In the closet that Itachi shared with his roommate, were all of his best costumes. Itachi found he couldn't remember what Kisame's plans for the weekend were.

He figured he was still early enough that Kisame was still out with a date, if that were the case. However, Kisame didn't mind when Itachi sometimes brought Sasuke to visit.

The trains were crowded this time of night, with all the corporate jockeys leaving their jobs for a weekend of potential relaxation. Sasuke and Itachi had to squeeze around worn out businesspersons in standing room only to catch a ride to his apartment.

Fugaku Uchiha had insisted that Itachi live in the dorms, to have the same experience he had when he had been at school years before. Kisame had been Itachi's original dorm mate, and now friend. It had made sense that they should get an apartment on their own after their first year of college.

As much as Itachi wanted to please his father, he knew that he was unsuited for dorm life. Because he was rather successful and from a powerful family line, Itachi was not well liked in the dorm by some of his peers. Often he would return from classes to find things missing or the room trashed.

It was amazing he made friends at all, given animosity he faced. But he had, ones who shared his creative spirit. He would dress up this weekend alone, just to see how things went, then call the group together another time. Itachi realized uncomfortably that he had been ignoring Sasuke.

"How was your week little brother?" he asked kindly.

"Eh." Sasuke just shrugged in a non-committal manner, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Did anything happen between you and your friends?"

"No, not really."

"Did you learn anything interesting then?" Itachi was starting to feel like he was on a bad blind date.

"What do you think?" As much as Itachi hated to admit it, he realized he didn't know Sasuke at all. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, the independent young man just disregarded him.

"So it's that age huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh you know where you are either despondent or smug towards those who know more than you."

"Am not," Sasuke argued back childishly a small grin tugging at his lips.

"Oh, are too," Itachi said back. "You just can't help yourself. It's in your nature to act like all of the other teenagers. Keeping secrets, isolating yourself, the whole routine." He shrugged.

"I am not keeping secrets," Sasuke snapped, but Itachi could tell his brother was playing along.

Itachi wondered what had happened to make Sasuke so cold. Perhaps it had been his leaving for college. He glanced down at his brother's cynical face, wondering if perhaps it would have happened regardless.

"So you don't do anything at school then? I understand," Itachi encouraged. "I never would have expected you to." He knew it would enrage Sasuke enough to answer him. His brother usually rose to a good challenge.

"Of course I do things," Sasuke snapped. He proceeded to rattle off his recent achievements. Itachi smiled when Sasuke wasn't looking. Exactly as he had hoped. His brother would probably surpass himself.

"Well, I suppose I was wrong then. I'll have to kid you about something else from now on," Itachi remarked. "Like your eyeliner?" Sasuke knew he was just teasing.

"I suppose you could, but you'll have to keep in mind that we are making a special trip to get your costumes tonight," Sasuke smirked.

"Touché," he laughed. There was a slight lull in their friendly conversation. "So why did you and Naruto decide to dress up on Sundays?" Sasuke shifted from foot to foot and glanced at the floor.

"Promise you won't laugh?" he asked, sounding more like the child Itachi remembered.

"I promise."

"We did it to meet girls." Itachi had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out of relief. He had been rather dreading possible answers. He did let a rather undignified snort pass, then feeling the sharp sting of Sasuke's palm against his arm.

"I'm sorry," Itachi apologized, as he tried to restrain his laughter.

"Why did you start doing it?" Sasuke demanded. Itachi's reasons were not so simple however. He found himself pausing and glancing at the floor as if it held the answers he needed.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly," Sasuke confirmed.

"To escape."

"Escape?" Sasuke questioned, sounding like an echo. "Why would you want to escape? You're clearly dad's favorite. You have everything going for you." It was quickly becoming clear the real reason behind Sasuke's sometimes less-than-brotherly behavior.

"Sasuke," Itachi started quietly, "you know father loves you just as much." His little brother 'hmped' but kept silent, waiting for Itachi's explanation. "Promise you can keep a secret?"

"Sure."

"I don't want what dad wants for me."

"What do you mean? You'll be successful." That was exactly the way someone on the outside would view his situation. Exactly how a naive teenager would see things.

"But I won't be happy." Sasuke started to say something, his mouth opening and closing a few times, as he digested what Itachi was trying to show him. "I'm not cut out for what dad wants for me."

"What are you cut out for then?"

"Music, and art, and creativity. I want to do something that is meaningful to me. The law is only words on a page. Dry. Dead." Itachi stopped himself before more things poured out. The only other person who knew of his unhappiness was Kisame.

"I guess I hadn't thought of that," Sasuke finally agreed. They were quiet until Itachi's stop, as they wove around the other passengers to exit. Itachi had soured his own light mood with brooding about the future.

"I'm not sure if Kisame will be in or not," Itachi explained to Sasuke as they hurried out of the train terminal, into the early dusk. "But just ignore anything you might see."

"Oh come on, I'm an adult," Sasuke protested, pulling his jacket a little tighter. It always seemed windier in Itachi's neighborhood.

"Really, then why did our parents think you need me to stay with you over the weekend?"

"Because that's their job," he retorted. "If you were cool, you have told them you were keeping an eye on me but stayed at your apartment."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Actually, he had thought of it. In some way, he really had wanted to go home. Moreover, it made his future trip to Harajuku believable. He was just escorting Sasuke after all. When in Rome...

"Ha, you always do everything mom and dad tell you to." No, not everything, Itachi corrected in his mind.

"You know you're glad to have me home this weekend. I throw better parties."

"Oh yes, like 'Let's do our homework parties' or 'who can fall asleep first parties.'"

"Well since you usually win the latter..."

"Do not. Once you've had a beer or two, you're out like a light."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. One time Naruto and I were going to draw on your face with mom's makeup when you passed out on the couch."

"I know you didn't."

"No, we just stole the remote."

"Exactly. I won didn't I? I fell asleep first."

"Oh yes, because there are awards for that type of talent," Sasuke shot back. "Like 'King of the Drool.'"

"I don't drool." They continued their brotherly bickering right into Itachi's apartment building. It wasn't too shabby, especially considering he only had to pay half the upkeep. It was certainly better than the dorms.

When he wasn't taking classes, Itachi worked a paper-pushing job for a friend of his father's. Between the two, he had a comfortable lifestyle.

They grabbed the elevator, Sasuke punching the worn button for floor "11" before the doors shut. The elevator groaned its way up the shaft. Itachi always wondered one day if it would trap him. When he wasn't in a rush, he usually opted for the stairs even though it stunk of take-out and old gym socks.

"So was this elevator here when the dinosaurs were?" Sasuke joked, as the doors prepared to open.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm pretty sure a t-rex still lives down the hall from me."

"Were you talking about me?" someone asked on the other side. The doors finally groaned open to reveal Kisame standing on the other side.

"No, we were talking about dinosaurs, not sharks," Itachi corrected. Kisame was the only person he knew that reminded him more of an animal than a man. His teeth were frighteningly sharp when he smiled. There was something predatory about his mannerisms. Even his skin and spiky hair held a bluish-grey tint to them.

"Too bad," he shrugged, "now what are you doing back so fast?" he asked as Itachi and Sasuke stepped off the elevator before it could decide to shut the doors on them. Itachi took a second or two to collect his answer, as they made their way briskly down the hall.

"Costumes," Itachi answered as he pulled out his key and made to open the door. "Where were you headed?"

"A blind date."

"Your date will hope she is blind when she gets a good look at you," Sasuke told him.

"Permission to beat up your little brother?"

"Fine," Itachi nodded as he let himself into the familiar space of their apartment. "Just make sure he stays in once piece. I don't have any glue." He blocked the sounds of fake wrestling as he headed for his bedroom.

He was too lazy to bother with the lights, so he felt his way around to the closet. Finding the door, he slid it open and pulled the worn string to make the light function. His closet was suddenly filled with a dark version of a rainbow.

He had costumes in just about every color that he had constructed himself. Beautiful Victorian reproduction jackets, colonial coats, matching vests, fancy pants, boots, frills, ruffles, rave clothes, punk clothes, accessories, wigs, and a make-up case greeted him. Colors ranged from the blackest black to the most somber white, and all shades in-between in cottons, netting, velvets, satins, and possibly even silk. Itachi was sure there might have been a skirt or dress in there left over from a lost bet. It was a clothing designers' wet dream.

While he would have loved to move them all back home for the weekend, Itachi selected a couple of his favorites and grabbed his make-up case. In the hallway, Sasuke was listening patiently to a joke Kisame was attempting to tell him.

"What's the occasion?" Kisame asked as he spotted Itachi's clothing.

"Just dressing up with Sasuke at Harajuku this weekend."

Kisame nodded, "I see. Perhaps if I get time I will meet you there?"

"Alright," Itachi agreed, as he had few friends. In reality, he didn't want anyone else along from school. He supposed it was rather selfish, but sometimes he needed time away from his school life. Kisame accompanied them down in the elevator this time. They exchanged goodbyes before Sasuke and Itachi boarded the train back home.

"How about we go home and drop off these costumes then go out to eat?" Itachi asked. "Unless you want to cook."

"No way. I have things to do." As soon as they arrived home, Itachi rushed upstairs and gently hid the costumes in his closet before the boys set off again to the fast food joint down the street.

It was nice spending time with his brother. Sasuke wasn't as cold as he usually was. He even venturing to fill him in about school or whatever interested him these days. He wondered briefly how the Harajuku girl was spending her evening. Probably somewhere exciting.

X

However, Hinata's evening was not as exciting as Itachi imagined it was. In fact, it was downright boring.

Her father had invited some potential clients over for drinks, which meant that Hinata was expected to give up any of her own plans for the night and join her family. She had been so lost in her sewing that Hanabi had nearly caught her indulging in her secret life.

However, during the week there was a window of excellent opportunity. Hinata could pull out her sewing machine for a few hours and finish parts of costumes she couldn't accomplish by hand. These hours were golden because Hanabi was still in clubs after school and Hinata's father wasn't home yet.

Today has been unfortunate, as Hanabi's club had decided to go home early and Hinata almost didn't hear her in time to cover the sewing machine and try to convince her sister that she had been studying.

"You were studying?" Hanabi asked, raising an eyebrow as she tried to peek past Hinata into her older sister's bedroom. "What?"

"Um…m-math." Hinata would have nervously touched her index fingers together if she hadn't been working so hard to keep the door cracked.

"That doesn't look like math. What do you have in there? A boy?"

"N-n-no." She hated her stutter. It only seemed to happen around her family or under extreme stress, which were usually the same thing.

"Then why can't I see?" Hinabi pouted. Hinata didn't find it very flattering when her sister did that.

"W-w-why do you want t-t-to see my h-h-homework?" Hanabi thought about it.

"Oh. Well, continue on then, but dad is bringing home company tonight." Her sister laughed and skipped off. To keep her mind off her impending expectations, Hinata continued adding details to her dress by hand, in between studying.

Her father stopped by her room long enough to instruct her to come out and join them, but to wear something presentable. Hanabi and her father always dressed ready for business while Hinata preferred comfort.

She traded her hoodie and exercise pants for a tasteless beige suit she particularly hated. It had been her mother's, but her mother had hated it too. It had been a gift from his in-laws. Her mother only wore it once when she had been displeased. In her own small way, Hinata was showing her father how much she hated these expectations of her time. Did he not think that she possibly had plans of her own?

Hanabi looked spectacular though, as always, Hinata couldn't help but notice. Her sister was only twelve, but she was one of those girls who appeared older. Hinata appeared as the younger sister when they were compared.

Despite the major age difference between her father's company and her sister, Hanabi seemed perfectly comfortable among them, carrying the conversation along. Hinata could see her father giving her meaningful looks across their pleased heads as she sat removed from the group.

She played house for an hour or so before she made a polite excuse to go to her room, feigning illness. She still had tomorrow night to look forward to as well. That disappointed look in her father's eye, that she had failed him as a daughter some time ago, didn't bother her as much as it used to.

Hinata was learning that the expectations of parents were sometimes out of your control. Her trips to Harajuku were opening her eyes. It would be hours yet before the company left probably, so Hinata picked up her sewing again with renewed fervor, determined to finish the costume as a reward for enduring through the week.

As she sewed, her mind wandered over the elder Uchiha and his beauty. Someone like that she was sure had an active social life. He wouldn't be sitting at home on Friday night, would he? However, Hinata found that she wasn't so sure, although she wasn't sure why.

X

**Author's End Note: **Probably not the best, I know, but I wanted to put things in perspective and explore motivations and what not *ahem, filler...*

**Raw preview for next chapter:** Hinata's heart beat rapidly beneath her wonderful new disguise as Itachi approached their group. Even under the transformation, she recognized his soulful dark eyes as his gaze sought her out. Holding her attention, he provided her with a smile that she was sure was meant only for her.


End file.
